Snobbery in Hi-Fi. Why are people so stupid and turn their noses up at gear costing much less which is just as good?

[PristineSound]

OK you watch snobs.

Find a room ;-)

You should of seen the cars admiration dozens of pages back.

 

[mhardy6647]

That is accurate. In the US, typically only high-end homes have a mud room.

Oh... not in northern New England!
Mud rooms are pretty much essential here.


That's our road during a typical mud season (March 2021)

 

[Sal1950]

Amazing pair. I find this to be more my style, both car and watch and location.

Not so sure about this specific Rolex, but definitely the car.

Over priced Euro junkers

 

[PristineSound]

Over priced Euro junkers

I have no qualms as an American saying, I'm not a fan of much from Detroit, compared to Japanese and European cars, but this vette here, this vette is the shining beacon of what American cars should be.

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

Little Red, is in my opinion, one of the very best popular songs, of my lifetime.

 

[PristineSound]

Oh... not in northern New England!
Mud rooms are pretty much essential here.


That's our road during a typical mud season (March 2021)

Looks like an unpaved road. I can see why a mud room would be essential in that area.

 

[Newman]

For F's sake guys! Until any watch can play Beethovens 9th, for instance!

These'll do it.

No Rolex can match them for class.... performance class, that is!

Those snob-inclined, who are outing themselves while trying to dominate this anti-snobbery thread, will be most displeased to see their bling bangles so thoroughly outclassed.

cheers

 

[PristineSound]

Nice watches can give one a lifetime of enjoyment unlike obsolete electronics (cell phones, apple watches, computers,.....).

I would agree. Even this designer Hermes Apple Watch doesn't hold the test of time. And the price is rather astronomical for an Apple Watch with a different "Hermes" shell. But still much more affordable than a quality mechanical timepiece.

 

[Sal1950]

I have no qualms as an American saying, I'm not a fan of much from Detroit,

 

[DMill]

As much of audio tech has now surpassed our hearing perhaps comparisons to watches are not so terrible? Are we so far away from diamond indicators on a volume knob or gold case accents? Who knows. I typically hate the comparison, but maybe that’s what the 1% want?

 

[PristineSound]

Well, sex always sells, and I am convinced

 

[drewdawg999]

I think fashion (and by extension watches) is often seen as frivolous, inane. Wilde wrote "fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months". So, it's often very intentionally rejected, almost always by college dropout programmer-turned-billionaire types.

Gabe Newell, superyacht owner, wears a uniform - a white oxford button-down collar shirt, every day (used to be a polo shirt, changed at some point). The self-imposed uniform says that someone has found something that works for them, they're sticking to it, and they have no interest in the frivolity of changing fashions, a pointless distraction.

Zuckerberg is similar - superyacht owner, but never seemed to have much interest in how he presented (this has changed in recent years)

So maybe it's moreso a rejection of trends in aesthetics than material goods. What makes a tech billionaire so attracted to superyachts? Maybe it gets to a point where they say "well, gotta spend it on something", or they'll claim it's the engineering that fascinates them, who knows?

I'm rambling and well off-topic, but one more aside about self-imposed uniforms. Steve Jobs was the tech billionaire who perhaps showed the most interest in aesthetics, yet he wore the same thing every day. I think he probably had a philosophical reason for it, and it's worth mentioning how deliberate it was: New Balance sneakers and Levi's are casual, common items, sure, but the turtleneck was a custom Issey Miyake design. He wore the same thing every day, but he was very deliberate about it. I think there's something interesting about an intentional unintentionality

Zuck, until recently as you mentioned, had the most minimalistic monotone wardrobe because he believes in decision fatigue.

David Lynch was the same way. Wore the same thing everyday, ate the same thing everyday. Well I'm more interested in fine artists than billionaires, though I guess the similarity is in decision fatigue, as the film director is overwhelmed by questions and decisions. He just had bigger fish to fry I suppose, than to worry about appearances, or what he might have for lunch. I feel the same way about clothes, don't care too much about physical appearance, just T-shirt and sweat shorts for many days in a row now (it's been hot), I subscribe to bum chic. It's nice not to care about fashion, just one less thing to get hung up about. It's nice to be in a position where you don't care what others think, and don't need to strain to impress. This is in direct opposition to hi-fi snobs, who most certainly care what others think, and most certainly aim to impress. Moreso with regards to wallet size than fidelity.

 

[RedVikingHood]

David Lynch was the same way. Wore the same thing everyday, ate the same thing everyday. Well I'm more interested in fine artists than billionaires, though I guess the similarity is in decision fatigue, as the film director is overwhelmed by questions and decisions. He just had bigger fish to fry I suppose, than to worry about appearances, or what he might have for lunch. I feel the same way about clothes, don't care too much about physical appearance, just T-shirt and sweat shorts for many days in a row now (it's been hot), I subscribe to bum chic. It's nice not to care about fashion, just one less thing to get hung up about. It's nice to be in a position where you don't care what others think, and don't need to strain to impress. This is in direct opposition to hi-fi snobs, who most certainly care what others think, and most certainly aim to impress. Moreso with regards to wallet size than fidelity.

I have a minimalist wardrobe. Only certain colours that compliment me and very easy to match. It covers me for all occasions though and is seasonal. The weather and occasion dictate what I wear. It's incredibly easy and doesn't burn up any decisions. But, there was a learning curve and some effort getting to that point. It's curated. I think a great approach is not to be over or under dressed for the occasion which includes matching formality with my wife when we go out to the theatre etc. I let her get ready and then it takes 5 seconds to decide what I will wear as I just match her level of formality.

I don't care what others think is somethink I would say, but when I analyse it, it's not completely true. I care what my family and friend's think. And to a point, some work colleagues. Why? Because it has a bearing on the quality of my life. I don't live in a bubble.

Regarding HiFi snobbery, I'm an audio engineer so I'm not trapped in that world anymore. But that isn't to say that we don't have gear snobbery in our world. And regarding fidelity, if you have a terrible RT60 time, you don't have it.

 

[ObiWanKenobi]

Badge snobs, the bias influenced, why are these people so blind to see there is nothing mystic about hifi, great sound is basically achievable at much lower costs than they are prepared to completely shell out for. Yet they still get hoodwinked by brands, kudos and status associated with equipment. The upgrade myth is still a thing. Good gear is good gear regardless of age, price or branding.

I get we all like different things and often different effects from equipment is what we are individually looking for, but manufacturers really take advantage I feel. And now with more and more well designed equipment available at lower prices than its ever been theres no need to, yet there are still some who can't help themselves and are falling for it hook line and sinker.

You realize you contradict yourself?
"Good gear is good gear regardless of age", "And now with more and more well designed equipment"
You have to decide if now or then.
Anyway, your are also a snob since you let yourself pass judgement on how much money anyone wants to spent on audio gear.

 

[drewdawg999]

But that's what went wrong with Frankinstein's monster.
He got the brain from "abbi normal"

"Puttin' on the Ritz!"

Naw, drewdawgs right, in my experience most everyone needs someone to look down on.
It makes them feel good about themselfs.

Wow me and Sal agree on something, woah . Too bad it's on how rotten most people are. I suspect that living in a large city, you witness the worst of man. I've seen things... such as riots and looting when the local sports team wins a championship, that's just ridiculous. Mob behavior at its worst. Or LA cops, they're just the pits, crooked and corrupt, a sadistic nature being a prerequisite for the job. They say the pigs are the meanest gang around. Being around so many people, it's easy to see without looking too far that most people are sadistic monsters. It's just a part of the programming that's hammered into you by conventional society. How we are taught to strive to dominate others (Horkheimer & Adorno), as a result of consumer capitalism.

I finally fully understand what Timothy Leary meant by "Tune in, turn on, drop out." The dropping out of conventional society being a huge part of things. We should be cognizant of the sinister machinations of societal rules, standards and ideals. These things are not good things, not meant to benefit the whole but instead the very few at the top of the pyramid. Elon Musk is a trillionaire now btw. Meanwhile I wish I had a thousand bucks to buy the Michael Fidler phono pre with balanced outs... I'm pretty sure I'll have it someday, then my system will be complete at last. And that's all I have on the horizon of hi-fi purchases, and if that's all I have to worry about then life is rather good at the moment.

 

[EJ3]

It's not the Hunter S Thomspon era though. Harley riders are now the biggest Karens on the road. Huge effimnate snowflake vibes.

Must be an odd place that you live, if that is true there.

 

[drewdawg999]

I don't care what others think is somethink I would say, but when I analyse it, it's not completely true. I care what my family and friend's think. And to a point, some work colleagues. Why? Because it has a bearing on the quality of my life. I don't live in a bubble.

Yes it's nice in theory, but we're still humans, we're gonna care a little bit what others think. Though I'm pretty close to living in a bubble, so I can afford to not care more than the average joe. I just feel like it's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, a lot less hang-ups, thus better mental health. But then again, I happen to be an introvert (puts me in the minority), I'm wired a bit differently.

 

[RedVikingHood]

Must be an odd place that you live, if that is true there.

I am only going by all the vids on YouTube of them acting like total Karens on the road. Where I live, people move out of the way when they see someone wants to go faster. In my home country (although I don't consider it home anymore), the UK, people sit in the fast lane at the speed limit and don't move out of the way for faster travelling vehicles. All the Harley vids I have seen show exactly the same behaviour. Literally, grown-ass men crashing out because some dude on a non-Harley motorbike over took them.

 

[RedVikingHood]

Yes it's nice in theory, but we're still humans, we're gonna care a little bit what others think. Though I'm pretty close to living in a bubble, so I can afford to not care more than the average joe. I just feel like it's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, a lot less hang-ups, thus better mental health. But then again, I happen to be an introvert (puts me in the minority), I'm wired a bit differently.

It's simple, only care a bit what people think if they are worthy or have proven their worth.

 

[EJ3]

Yes it's nice in theory, but we're still humans, we're gonna care a little bit what others think. Though I'm pretty close to living in a bubble, so I can afford to not care more than the average joe. I just feel like it's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, a lot less hang-ups, thus better mental health. But then again, I happen to be an introvert (puts me in the minority), I'm wired a bit differently.

7 pairs of Khaki long pants, 7 pairs of Khaki short pants, same for Khaki long and short shirts, various short & long jeans, 5 pair o' steel toe work boots (for when I was working 7 days a week). Various T-shirts, real Hawaiian shirts (ahm, yeah, a bit of a Fashionista on the Hawaiian shirts), (otherwise lSketcher slip on shoes) and there are a couple of other things for Weddings, Funerals, etc.
Most of the T-shirts (as well as almost all my other shirts, have at least 1 pocket, (I find shirts with no pockets rather useless, as there is usually enough noise and vibrations around me that I wont hear or feel the phone ringing unless it is in my shirt pocket (and even then, it's questionable if I'll hear/feel it and if I do, wether I am I able to let go of what I am doing in order to answer it).